Suggests guidelines to be followed by library administrators and managers to deal effectively with changes caused by the introduction of automation or technology projects within a library. The need for planning is emphasized, staff participation is stressed, adequate training and preparation are discussed, and financial planning is considered.…

This paper describes a decision making framework for library networking which can be used by individual libraries, groups of cooperating libraries, or centralized services to evaluate current operations and define alternative approaches to automation and networking. It is noted that networking has not yet achieved its full potential because of a…

This workbook for participants in a 1988 Texas State Library workshop is designed to provide a step by step outline for the full process of bibliographic, item, and patron conversion from paper files to an online environment; to orient participants to various methods and major vendors of bibliographic retrospective conversion; and to provide a…

The objective of this project was to develop the concept of the experimenting and extended library, and to oversee its physical and operational design in a new college--Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts. The basic arguments of this report are: (a) that the economic and social contexts within which libraries will operate in the future are…

Addresses the importance of item specific information to online public access catalog users and conversion planning. Options for attaching item specific information to bibliographic records are described: conversion via local system terminal, automatic item creation from OCLC bibliographic records, custom label programs. Examples of bar codes are…

Suggests practical steps the uninitiated librarian can take to become familiar with automation opportunities and discusses issues that should be considered in choosing an automation system for the small library. Getting acquainted with computer world, evaluating library environment, and considering options are covered. Eight references are cited.…

This article is a summation of several university and university library publications. Subjects covered are automation, university reform and the library, librarians, and the future of university libraries. (6 references) (DH)

Librarians have an alternative to providing library services with their own resources. The alternative is to purchase these services from outside contractors. The library manager must carefully consider several service and economic factors along with the range of available services. (7 references) (Author/DH)

Libraries today operate on the assumption that they are a necessary and viable social institution with a long life expectancy. However, labor productivity, automation levels, and costs are not in line with todays economic requirements. Competing information services may replace libraries by the turn of the century. (DH)

The trend toward extensive computerization of the processes of research libraries is indicated as excessive, uncritical and inefficient. (JN)

Describes recent research by the authors who received the 1990 American Society for Information Science (ASIS) Research Award. Three main areas of studies are described: (1) evaluation measures, methods, and models; (2) planning and evaluation studies involving individual libraries and library systems; and (3) planning and evaluation of library…

Describes the experiences of four library automation projects that involved multitype library networks. Areas discussed include forces acting on libraries, the growth and development of the library marketplace, the increasing complexity and interrelationships of automated systems and the profound impact of such systems on libraries. (CLB)

Provides a description of four seminars and three study tours organized by the IFLA (International Federation of Library Associations) Section on Library Buildings and Equipment from 1980-91. Themes include interior design and layout, library buildings in the network context, adapting buildings to library use, planning and design, and control of…

Gallaudet College's special collection on deafness, and efforts to transform the college library into a functional, user-oriented information center are described. (Author/PF)

This seminar and workbook are designed to aid librarians in planning and designing attractive and efficient libraries in light of the changing technologies of the 1980s. It is based on the premise that the electronic revolution of the 1980s will cause substantial changes in the work force, work processes, and the nature of physical layouts of…